YP – B1: Finale – Chapter 40

233 Days Until Retribution and The Uncertain End (part 2)

Heia sat in the same room as her family as Evester and the others prepared for Crass, Rayda, and Phil to sneak in to the CloudCity of Valaria. From what Heia knew, the following day was going to be when the three went up to the city for both the final details and to bring back the items needed for everyone to get to Valaria. While they planned Heia spoke with her family alone, in a way that they hadn’t in what felt like forever.

“Do we trust this?” Andre asked looking to the door. “Are you sure Heia?”

“We’ve come this far.” Robee rolled his eyes. “Why question it now?”

“Once we are up there.” Layla cut in. “If we are caught…”

They could be killed. It was not something that Everster had told them outright, but the implications were there. X’s were not allowed in CloudCities without special permission.

“They will save their own skin over ours.” Andre reminded them. “We are X’s.”

“Kony may be a Circle or a Star.” Kori disagreed. “They wouldn’t kill him.”

“No?” Andre asked.

They would. After all Kony existence would prove that the people marking them were not doing their jobs properly. 

“Evester won’t hurt us.” Karla defended the man who was not there. “I trust him.”

Trust was a strong word for Karla to use, however the man had predicted an attack, had searched the LowerLands for Heia and was a member of EverDanger. He was, at the least, able to be believed. Regardless, all her faith would never be fully with him. 

“We won’t be here for long.” Heia spoke up. “Once we get Zeydar we are out.”

“Oh?” Layla glared at Heia. “Are you sure? From what I can tell this we, means us, but not our family.”

The kids. Evester had never spoken on what he’d do with all of them. Not when the world was bending around them and they were being hunted. The kids could not come with them. 

“I understand that you don’t like him.” Trace cut in, “But he’s not going to betray us.”

“Circles always betray us.” Andre reminded her with how Mr. Listal was captured and taken. How he had not betrayed them, but abandoned them. Not her, never her. Their skills were based on what she had learned from him. 

“I say trust this.” Heia disagreed. “Evester will get us in and we can trust him on that.”

“Heia.” Layla shook her head.

“Me? I’m the one you have an issue with?” When was the last time she had fought with Layla like this. “Haven’t you realized how comfortable we are because of him? We would never have been fighting like this back in LakeLost. Not after everything. Evester might not be the most trustworthy person in the world, but he’s the hope we have to believe in.”

Heia and Layla exchanged a series of glares.

“Besides.” Kony added. “Everester is the only one who can take care of us. He’s paying for this place, for all of us. If we don’t trust him, our family may suffer worse.” 

None of them had to think about what would happen if Evester abandoned them. They would be out of everything from income to resources. Heia had to believe in the man that was on a mission to find her and Zeydar. That he would not abandon them and considered this all for faun. She needed to trust him. 

Even if no one else did.

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